George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Hell on Wheels 4.9: High Noon

One of the best things about Hell on Wheels this - it's 4th - year is the way it has retrieved so much that was great about the classic Western. The prime example before tonight was the episode that introduced Sidney Snow - or, to be more precise, the brilliant spaghetti Western beginning of that episode.

Tonight's whole episode 4.9 was just as good, and brought back shades of High Noon to the screen. Cullen is one man against a bunch of tough bad guys, working for the evil Campbell, and led by his new marshall, the same Sydney Snow. The wise move would be to leave town. But Cullen is able to put together a stunning counter-strategy that beats Snow and releases the men Cullen needs to move the railroad, including Durant.

Even Louise plays a decisive role, bedding Campbell to distract him while Cullen puts together his plan. Given that Louise is gay, this a laudable sacrifice, indeed. Mickey also is fabulous, getting himself nearly beaten to death to smuggle in a key to the prisoners. Although I figured Mickey was up to something more than getting beaten, the outcome was still satisfying to see.

But I guess my favorite part was the unveiling of the gatling gun, which gave Cullen's forces the decisive and winning edge. I was glad to see that guy with the beard - one of Campbell's henchmen - get just what he deserved. Just the sight of his face got my blood boiling.

Season 4 continues to be the best season of Hell on Wheels - best by far, at this point. And there's more to come, with Sydney still on the loose, and Campbell still in power back in Cheyenne. This may take U. S. Grant to straighten it out, and I'm looking forward.

About Me

Paul Levinson, PhD, is Professor of Communication &
Media Studies at Fordham University in New York City.His 8 nonfiction books, including The Soft Edge (1997),
Digital McLuhan (1999), Realspace (2003), Cellphone (2004), and New New Media (2009, 2nd edition 2012), have been the
subject of major articles in the New York Times, Wired, the Christian Science
Monitor, and have been translated into 12 languages. His science fiction novels include The Silk Code (1999, ebook 2012), Borrowed Tides (2001), TheConsciousness Plague (2002, 2013), The Pixel Eye (2003), The Plot To SaveSocrates (2006, ebook 2012), and Unburning Alexandria (2013).His short stories
have been nominated for Nebula, Hugo, Edgar, and Sturgeon Awards.Paul Levinson appears on "The
O'Reilly Factor" (Fox News), "The CBS Evening News,"“NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” (PBS),“Nightline” (ABC), NPR, and numerous
national and international TV and radio programs. His 1972 album, Twice Upon a Rhyme, was re-issued in 2009 (CD) and 2010 (remastered vinyl). He reviews the best of
television in his InfiniteRegress.tv blog, and was listed in The Chronicle of
Higher Education’s “Top 10 Academic Twitterers” in 2009.

e-mail received from a reader:Dear Paul, I just dreamed of airships flying between raindrops. I just returned from 2042 CE, where I sold my hardcover copy of The Plot to Save Socrates for seventy million Neo-Euros, because it had your response to this e-mail from way back in 2007 scotch-taped onto the inside of the cover. A Paul Levinson collector paid top Neo-Euro, because of the authentic archaic e-mail printout from you. It turns out that not many of your e-mails from before your tenure as CEO of HBO/Cinemax and terms as United Nations Secretary General will survive that far into the future. So, please respond to this e-mail, to help found my great-grandchildren's fortune. My Will will stipulate that they must share with your great grandchidren. Thanks! Tom